Cut off calculators and markers



Dec. 31, 1957 H. w. THORNBURG CUT OFF CALCULATORS AND MARKERS Filed Feb.25, 1957 III 1 III/l 1/! United States PatentO CUT OFF CALCULATORS ANDMARKERS Harrison W. Thornburg, Needles, Calif.

Application February 25, 1957, Serial No. 642,189

4 Claims. (Cl. 143-168) This invention concerns a cutoff calculator andmarker.

More specifically, the device is for marking lumber and similar materialso that the user can cut off lengths of the lumber of desired dimensionswith a power driven cut off saw, rapidly, accurately and efficiently.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device which can beapplied to either a bench saw or a cut off saw of the moving blade typeand which will efliciently hold lumber to be cut and mark it at apredetermined distance from the saw and then enable the user, after thecut, to move the lumber toward the saw an exact predetermined distance,as indicated on a scale which is positioned on the device; the scalebeing positioned to read in inches a determined distance relative to theface of the saw opposite to the scale.

A further object is to provide a calculator and lumber marker which hasa body of bi-angular section composed of a base plate having means forrolling over the table of x of a bench saw, or the back double stop of amovable blade cut off saw, and the top plate having trommel markersadapted to mark lumber placed against either side of the upright webmember.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the devices, parts andcombinations of parts shown on the accompanying drawings in which IFigure 1 is a plan view of my improved cut ofi calculator and marker;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a saw table with the marker attachedto the miter-gauge of the saw table;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the table of a movable blade cut offsaw with my improved device installed and used as a back stop;

Figure 4 is a fore and aft section of the marker taken substantially online 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragment of the bottom plate of the marker body drawn onan enlarged scale, and showing a roller in position in the plate.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the diiferent vlews.

In the drawing, numeral 2 indicates the body of my cut off marker ingeneral. This is made of flat metal and includes a rectangular bottomplate 3, which is bent upward along its fore edge 4 to form a verticalweb plate 5. At the top of the web 5 the material is bent horizontallyand extends forward in a direction away from the bottom plate, and formsthe top shelf plate 7.

In the bottom plate there are rectangular openings 8 in which rollers 9are positioned and held on transverse axle pins 10. These pins may beset into slots in the bottom plate at the ends of openings 8 and thenthe edges of the slots peened over to retain the pins as indicated bynumeral 12, Figure 5. These rollers enable the body of the device toroll over the top face of saw table 14 when the web plate 5 is attachedto the face plate of the miter-gauge 16. It is to be noted that theattachment is made to this plate by means of bolts 18 having countersunk heads, as shown in Figure 4.

On the top shelf 7 there is a scale 20. In this instance the scale isapproximately 35 inches long and at the outer end of the scale where thenumbering commences there are two spring type trommel point markers 22and 23, positioned on a fore and aft plate 24.

Each of these markers consists of a plunger shaft 26 slideably operatingin a guide body 27 which is attached to plate 24. A spring surroundsshaft 26 and extends between the top of the guide body 27 and the underface of a striker plate 30 on the upper end of shaft 26. The springnormally holds the striker plate and shaft in a raised position, asshown. Striking the plate 30 downward causes the sharpened lower end 31of the plunger shaft to descend and mark the upper face of work piece Awhich is held against web 5 and rests on bottom plate 3.

Referring particularly to marker 23, it is to be noted that the markmade by point 31 is in line, fore and aft, with the zero mark on scale20. It is also to be noted that the body 2 of this marking device ispositioned on table 14 a determined distance relative to the saw 33.

Thus the mark made on the Work piece A may be 36 inches (or any otherpredetermined distance) from the kerf cut by saw 33. If the work pieceA, as marked, is now forced through the saw, a trim cut will be madewhich bears a definite relation to the mark. After the trim cut is madethe work piece may be slid along the bottom plate 3 from left to rightany desired number of inches up to the limit of the scale, and when themark is aligned fore and aft with the desired inch mark, a cut may bemade which will cut off a piece of stock from the work piece which isexactly the length indicated by the inch mark opposite the mark on thework piece.

Where the work piece is not long enough to extend to the trommel point23, a second trommel point, positioned 12 inches from the saw kerf, maybe used for marking such short or stub lengths of material. There aretwo spring trommel point markers at this place indicated by numerals 40and 41 and these are supported on fore and aft plate 42. All parts ofthese markers are similar to those previously described.

Where the device is used to mark lumber work pieces such as B, it issecured to the top of table 46, Figure 3. The outer face 44 of thevertical web 5 is then used as a back stop for the work piece B.

The trommel markers are placed on body 2 with reference to the kerf cutby the saw 48 so that marks made by them will bear a definiterelationship to the far or outer face of saw 48. In this use trommels 22and 41a are used. The lumber piece is first squared up by a crosscutoperation of saw 48 and the trommel point of trommel 22 is used to markthe position of piece B. The lumber is then fed toward the saw, left toright, and the distance of the length desired to be cut off from lumberpiece B is measured on scale 20 by reference to the mark made by thetrommel 22. When the mark on the work piece is opposite the inch mark onscale 20, as desired, the saw is again fed through the work with theresult that a piece is cut from the lumber the exact length measured.Here again short lengths of material may be cut using the trommel 41.

Installations on this type of saw are made by securing plate 3 to thetable top by means of counter sunk head screws 50 with its aft edge 3aextending toward the aft side 46a of saw table 46. The body 2 does notmove and the trommel markers 22 and 41a, adjacent to the outer edge oftop plate 7 are used to make the necessary markings, and trommel markers23 and 40 are not used. The same scale 20 is used in both installations.

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Since it the width of the saw kerfmay -vary, it may be necessary to varythe longitudinal position of scale 20 on shelf plate 7. This is done bysecuring fiat steel scale 20 to plate 7 by screws 43 which extendthrough longitudinal slots 44 in the tape with the screw heads engagingthematerial of the tape on the sides of the slot.

I claim:

1. A cut oil? marker for use with cut otfsaws operating relative .totables for marking and measuring desired lengths of lumber to be cutfrom a workpiece consisting of a body of sheet metal having longitudinalfolds forming a bi-angular cross section arid providing a bottom plate,a vertical web member extending upward from one edge of saidbottom'plate and a top-'shelf'plate extending horizontallyfromthe'top-edge of said vertical web in a direction opposite to theextent of the bottom plate, a plate attached to thetop shelf of the bodyand extending fore and aft beyond the edges of the shelf, markingtrommels, having trommel plungers normally retracted by springs,attached to each end of said plate,

a measuring scale secured to andextending along "said shelf with themarking indicia bearing a relationto the marking trommels to indicate alcngthof material to be cut off including the width of the kerf of thecut-off saw with which the marker is used, and means for operativelyattaching the marker body to-the table of a cut-off saw in predeterminedspaced relation'to the saw.

2. A lumber marker and measurer for cut off saws having a body includinga base plate with a front edge and a rear edge, adapted to be supportedon the top of a cut off saw table, a web plate memberextending upwardfrom the rear edge of said base plate, and a top shelf plate extendinghorizontally from the upper edge of said web plate in adirection-opposite to the extent of said base plate, a scale onthe topface of said shelf plate having indicia marks adapted to bear apredetermined relation to a cut oil saw operative relative to saidtable, a plate extending fore and aft on said :shelf plate near-the endof said body farthest from said saw,-vertically slidable plunger markersoperating adjacent the fore and aft faces of said web plate, each havinga sharpened lower end for marking lumber and spring means normallyholding said plunger upward in non marking position.

3. In a mechanically driven circular cut off saw operating on a tableadapted to supportlengths of lumber to be cut into pieces ofpredetermined length, a lumber marker and-measurer "having a "body "witha rectangular base plate adapted to be supported on the upper face ofsaid table and having a rear edge extending toward the rear of saidtable and a forward edge extending toward the fore part of said table, aweb plate extending upward from the fore edge of said base plate forminga stop for lengths of lumber placedton said table, and a top shelf plateextending horizontally from the top of the web plate in'adirection awayfrom said bottom plate, a scale having measuring'indicia onthe top faceof said shelf plate, and pairs of vertically slidable,workpiece-marking, trommel plungersnormally held resiliently in raisednonmarking position oppositely disposed on each side of said web plateat predetermined distances along said plate and scale.

4. in a mechanically driven circular cut off saw operating on a tableadapted to support lengths of lumber to be 'cut into pieces ofpredetermined lengths, a lumber marker and measurer'having a body with arectangular base plate adapted to be supported on the upper face of-saidtable and having 'a rear edge extending toward the rear of saidtable anda forward edge extending toward the'fore part of said table, a web plateextending upward from the fore edge of said base plate forming a stopfor lengths of lumber placedon said table, and a top shelf plateextending horizontally from the top of the web plate in a direction awayfrom said bottom plate, a scale-having'measuring indicia on the top faceof said shelf plate, and pairs of vertically slidable, workpiecemarking,trommel plungers normally held resiliently in raised non-markingposition oppositely disposed on each side of said web plate atpredetermined distances along said plate and scale, longitudinallyextending rollers on thebottom face of'said bottom plate, and means onthe web plate for the attachment of a miter-gauge to its fore face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,619,695 Boese et a1. Mar. 1, 1927 1,735,216 Sims Nov. 12, 19292,515,008 Humphrey July 11, 1950 2,674,280 Pierce Apr. 6, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 936,091 France Feb. 16, 1948

